Tuesday 11 January 2022

Lots of New Year Making



I was keen for Seville oranges to arrive in the shops and as soon as they did at the end of last week I bought some.  Last January in Italy I wasn’t able to make marmalade, they make jam with their sweet oranges but there is no marmalade per se so I wouldn’t have found any bitter oranges even if I’d been allowed out of deepest lockdown.

I used 1.5 kilos of fruit and just over 2 kilos of sugar, less than the recipe recommends, I am delighted to have 10 jars of dark bitter conserve.  



I have been knitting too.  I received this sparkly West Yorkshire Spinners yarn as part of an exchange for a few knitted items, enough for socks and mitts, thank you Pat I would never had chosen this yarn but I do like the twinkle on a chilly dull day and surprisingly the yarn is very soft and not at all scratchy despite the silvery thread which is hard to capture on camera.



Now I’m knitting a scarf in Stylecraft You and Me dk.  If I hadn’t found a bag containing 1000g of this yarn in a charity shop for a few pounds I wouldn’t have considered anything that consists of 80% acrylic and 20% cashmere effect Polyamide, whatever that is.  Generally I don’t like man made fibres I support the sheep but this is knitting up well and feels pleasingly soft.



Best of all using the ZickZack pattern, a clever single row repeat that gives a great effect, my scarf looks amazingly like something from Missoni, the luxury Italian fashion house.  The examples below cost almost £200 each, mine should work out at less than £2.00. 





Finally I haven’t forgotten that I said I would start early making the little Christmas stocking decorations for next year.  11 days into the new year I have two, I am on target, for now.

9 comments:

  1. I am knitting wrist warmers for one of my grandchildren as well, they are quite simple to make. Looking at that scarf would it be Florentine stitch?

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  2. Wish I could make marmalade as I eat a lot. I have tried but it never seems to set well for me. Some nice knitting work, there!

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  3. Fab scarf!
    The marmalade looks good too!
    I've actually created a Ravelry account so I can download the scarf pattern. I hope you don't mind if I ask you a question about the yarn.
    It suggests a yarn and a US needle size of 2½ - 3mm. It's a long time since I knitted anything! Are US sizes the same as UK as they are in mm? And as you used DK yarn did you use this size?

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    1. I used dk and old size 8 needles, 60 stitches for a scarf about 22 cm wide. I expect to use 300 g of dk for a very long scarf. You can use any yarn with appropriate needles, ie chunky yarn bigger needles, to get a tension not too tight so the scarf will drape. Modify the number of stitches in units of 12, experiment till you are happy. The pattern is simple and easy to memorise, I happily churn out rows and rows watching evening tv. Good luck, I expect a blog post on your progress.

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  4. Oh yes, I think you have inspired me to knit a scarf. I’m just starting a jacket style cardigan and now am excited by the prospect of a co-ordinating accessory. Thank you.

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  5. Oh I do love that yarn. So pretty!

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  6. Love the scarf. I've used that yarn to knit bed socks and they are so comfortable. Envious of your marmalade - homemade is so much tastier than what you can buy in the shops. Enjoy!

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  7. Are the marmalade jars new ones or recycled ones? If they are recycled how did you process them? I love marmalade!
    Thanks,
    Christine

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